


Protect Clan Lavellan

by AlexBarton



Series: Aelinor Trevelyan of Clan Lavellan [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Asexual Character, Don't copy to another site, F/M, Shapeshifting, War Table Operation: Protect Clan Lavellan (Dragon Age)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-20 00:28:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17012040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexBarton/pseuds/AlexBarton
Summary: I would think that a Lavellan inquisitor would want to personally make sure their clan is okay, so this is my take on that within the framework of Aelinor's background.Brief background, because it's coming in another fic: Aelinor is a Trevelyan, but due to unfortunate circumstances ended up with Clan Lavellan and considers them her family.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All translations are at the end.

“ _Da’fen_!” a voice called through the trees.

Aelinor whirled around, and upon spotting the speaker, sheathed her swords and broke into a large grin. “ _Lethal’lan_! It is so good to see you!”

The two women embraced.

“Everyone, this is Ellana of Clan Lavellan and one of my dearest friends. Ellana, these are my companions: Cullen, Dorian, Cassandra, Varric, and Solas.”

Ellana inclined her head. “Well met.”

\---

Walking back through the camp was the closest Aelinor had ever felt like coming home. Many of the older clan members recognized her and called out in greeting.

Ellana pulled Aelinor to her aravel, where a white-haired child was playing in the grass. “Sora, _da’len_. Come here. I want you to meet someone. This is your _ma’isa’ma’lin_.”

Sora hid behind her mother’s legs, peering out at Aelinor.

Aelinor crouched down and smiled at the girl. “ _An'eth'ara, da’len. Ar ea Aelinor, fen’ashala._ ”

Sora’s eyes widened. “ _An'eth'ara, fen’ashala_.”

Ellana, Sora, and Aelinor wandered through the camp to Keeper Deshanna’s aravel.

The older woman held her arms out, and Aelinor ran to hug her. “ _Mamae_!”

The pair chattered in Elvhen, before Aelinor turned to her companions and introduced them.

Deshanna stepped forward. “Thank you for keeping my _da’fen_ safe. She has written much about you all.”

Not surprisingly, Dorian stepped forward first and kissed her hand. “Thank you, most esteemed Keeper. It is truly a pleasure to meet you.”

Deshanna smiled. “You will all stay here? We must celebrate the return of our _fen’ashala_.”

Aelinor turned to Cullen and Cassandra.

Cassandra spoke first. “We would not wish to impose for too long, but we would be honoured to celebrate with you.”

\---

Cassandra and Cullen left briefly to see to the troops they had brought, making sure that their camp wasn’t going to interfere with Clan Lavellan’s camp.

When they returned, they found Dorian and Solas in a discussion with Keeper Deshanna about the differences in Dalish and Circle magic. Varric was with the craftsman, showing off Bianca. Aelinor was sitting amongst some younger children, Sora sitting in her lap, telling stories. When she caught sight of Cullen, she got to her feet and introduced Cassandra to the group of children.

“ _Da’lenaan_ , this is Seeker Cassandra. She once killed a dragon, and if you are very nice and very quiet, she might even tell you the story.”

Cassandra’s look of dismay was quickly overshadowed by the loud cheers and little hands pulling her to sit down with them.

Aelinor shot Cassandra a look of gratitude and mouthed _thank you_ as she looped her hand in Cullen’s arm. The couple walked off towards the edge of camp.

“What do you think?”

Cullen paused before answering. “It’s very different. But it’s peaceful.”

Aelinor flashed him a smile, and then leaned against his arm, observing her clan.

“I do have a question though.”

She lifted her head off his arm. “Go ahead.”

“What they call you. What does it mean?”

“ _Da’fen?_ It means little wolf. It is a play on my clan name.”

“Ah, no. Not that one. Your clan name, I suppose?” Cullen clarified.

“Ah. _Fen’ashala_? It means Wolf Protector.”

Cullen glanced down at the woman next to him. “You are not being very forthcoming with details.”

Aelinor laughed. “True enough. Very well. Fen’Harel is the Dalish trickster god. We set his statues facing outside the camp to protect us from deceit. I am the clan’s offering to him, dedicated to him. The protector of the clan.”

Cullen’s brow furrowed. “Forgive my ignorance. I thought if you were dedicated to a Dalish god, you had face tattoos?”

“ _Vallaslin._ And Fen’Harel doesn’t have _vallaslin_ , though I do have a tattoo as a part of my dedication to him,” Aelinor could feel Cullen’s interested gaze, so she gave a small chuckle and continued, “In between my shoulder blades. One is not commonly marked for Fen’Harel, so it is rarely done in a visible place. In a way, it is good that I am not truly Elvhen. It is a necessary evil, an honour, but also a taboo to be marked for Fen’Harel in Dalish Culture. I am glad that I could spare my clanmates from it.”

The couple wandered further for a while longer, making a circuit of the camp. When they returned to Cassandra, her braid had been tucked with flowers as to form a crown upon her head.


	2. Chapter 2

Ellana found Aelinor sitting in a tree. “ _Da’fen_ , the scouts have reported seeing the Duke’s men coming through the woods.”

Aelinor jumped down. “I’ll tell our troops. Cullen, Dorian, and Cassandra will come with us. You can shoot from the trees; keep Dorian with you. Cullen, Cas, and I can hold our part of the line.”

Ellana nodded. “I will see you in the clearing.”

The two women hurried off to ready their people. Aelinor watched as Cullen deployed their men alongside the fighters and scouts of her clan. Varric and Solas would remain in the camp, defending the children and running the main healing tent.

After all had departed the camp, Aelinor led her friends to a clearing to the east of the camp.

Cullen received a messenger raven from another position. “They’ve engaged to the north. They tried to circle around instead of attacking head on where we are. Our combined forces managed to drive them off, but the Duke escaped somewhere in our direction.”

Ellana turned to look at her friend. “ _Da’fen_.”

Aelinor sighed. “You know I hate doing that.”

“Yes. But it will help us find the Duke faster.”

The two shared a brief look before Aelinor began to undress. Cullen sputtered and looked away.

“Aelinor. Dearest. What are you doing?”

“You’ll see.”

When she was down to her leggings and breastband, Aelinor paused and took a deep breath. Then her back cracked at an unusual angle, then her form seemed blurred, and finally a tawny wolf stood where she had once been. The wolf sniffed the air once, then ran off into the woods.

“Maker’s breath,” Cullen breathed.

Ellana looked around curiously. “She did not tell you she is _dun’himelan_?”

“A what now?” Dorian asked.

“ _Dun’himelan_. One who can change bodies.”

“She never told us she was a mage at all.” Dorian protested.

Ellana narrowed her eyes. “She is not a mage.”

“Only mages can shapeshift.”

“Wrong. She does not draw on the Fade to shift.”

“How is that even possible? I used to be a Templar. I know how it usually works.”

Ellana rolled her eyes. “As was she. But if she has not told you how it came to be, then I will not betray her trust.”

“She… was a Templar?” Cassandra asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

“You did not know?” Ellana scoffed, shocked, “Do you even know anything about her? You _shemlen_ use her in your holy war and you don’t even know the most basic things about her.”

“Well that’s not fair to say,” Dorian protested, “I’ve only just met her recently. Maybe a month or so. And the good commander never sees her because she’s out helping people.”

Ellana turned to Cassandra. “And you? What is your excuse?”

Cassandra opened her mouth, then shut it, then opened it again. “I – I do not have one. I should know more about her. It has been three months. You are right.”

Ellana sniffed and turned back towards the treeline.

“Varric and Solas might know more,” Cassandra called out.

Anything more she might have said was cut off by Aelinor’s return – she was bleeding and had an arrow sticking out of her flank.

“ _Vishante kaffas_! Ellana, go get Solas! Cassandra, I have a feeling the Duke is nearby.”

Ellana ran off in the direction of the camp as fast as possible. Cassandra stood at the ready with her shield, then silently crept into the forest in the direction that Aelinor had stumbled out.

“Cullen, I’m going to need you to hold her down. She cannot shift back until I’ve removed the arrowhead and stitched the muscle back together, and I don’t fancy being bitten by a wolf.”

Cullen nodded his head, then set himself at Aelinor’s head. She howled at snapped at his hands as Dorian pulled the arrow out slowly, but Cullen held her and stroked her fur, telling her a story to calm her.

“This one time, when I was growing up back in Honnleath, it was apple harvest. And Honnleath is famous for its apples. I would climb the trees and hide and try to scare the workers picking the apples. One time though, one time I went to scare someone, and it was my Da. And I was so shocked that I fell out of the tree,” Cullen could feel Aelinor’s pulse slow down as he continued to talk, “And I made this awful squawk, my limbs flailing, so for the rest of the harvest everyone called me the Apple Bird or the Bird man. Fortunately, I didn’t break anything.”

Solas arrived with Ellana and Cassandra in tow. “I thought you said Aelinor was hurt?”

“She is _dun’himelan_.”

Solas’s eyes narrowed, but then his face went blank again. “She needs to shift back for me to heal her further.”

“I’ve stopped the bleeding, but I don’t know if her shift will tear the muscle and skin again,” Dorian replied.

“I can take care of that once she reverts to her human form,” Solas assured him, “But I shall endeavour to keep your work intact if possible.”

Dorian nodded and stepped back, motioning to Solas to take his place.

“ _Da’len_. I need you to shift back for me.”

Aelinor whimpered, but again her form blurred, and her human form lay on the forest floor with her head in Cullen’s lap.

As Solas continued healing her, Aelinor looked up at Cullen, “Please keep talking. It helps.”

Cullen cleared his throat. “Um well. I don’t know what other stories to tell you. Dorian?”

The Altus swept his robes about him and knelt at her side. “This one time…”

**Author's Note:**

> da’fen - little wolf  
> lethal’lan - kinswoman  
> da'len - child  
> ma’isa’ma’lin - aunt  
> fen'ashala - wolf protector; technically it's a mashup of 'asha' and 'shala' ie. wolf woman who protects  
> An'eth'ara, da’len. Ar ea Aelinor, fen’ashala. - Greetings, young one. I am Aelinor, the wolf protector.  
> An'eth'ara, fen’ashala. - Hello wolf protector.  
> mamae - mother/mama  
> da'lenaan - children  
> dun’himelan - shapeshifter, literally "body changer"  
> shemlen - technically means "quickling" but is a derogatory word for humans in reference to their short lives
> 
> vishante kaffas - litteraly "you shit on my tongue" but a Tevinter curse
> 
> Shoutout to fenxshiral and Project Elvhen for helping with the Elvhen words


End file.
